Beyond Right and Wrong
by Era Yachi
Summary: The months following the DomZ invasion were tranquil and productive. But now the DomZ have appeared again, and in far greater numbers. Every day is a struggle to survive. Jade and Double H try their best to fight this war, and keep each other alive...
1. Chapter 1

**Beyond Right and Wrong**

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AN: An honest attempt to write my own BG&E II story, now that I know a sequel is in production. It will be filled with danger. Intrigue. Suspense. Mystery. Angst. And yes…even romance. Eventually. Please give the ship a chance, folks.

Anyway.

It's rated PG-13 for now. Some of the chapters in the future will be rated considerably higher for mature content. Such chapters may be redirected. Or I'll change the rating. Now grab a bag of cookies, feed your dog, throw on the BG&E soundtrack, shut up and read. )

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Jade's conscience told her today would be just…another normal day like the last few dozen that had gone by since then. Since the end of the invasion. Since she'd defeated part of herself, brought back her family and settled down again in a life of normalcy and routine. Even her sanity was intact. That was always something to be happy about.

But her gut told her differently. There were no more explosions of green, twisted portals in the beautiful, morning sky and the only reason she used the shield anymore was to allow the kids to play outside when it rained. No more emergency broadcasts, or beating back alien abominations that tried to steal away the people she cared about. Even though her mind knew it was over, her gut always had this feeling. It would all come back again, and she wouldn't be able to stop it.

…and then the nightmares. She would always have nightmares.

With the help of IRIS, of course, the lighthouse was rebuilt faster than she'd dreamed. Hahn and the others put forth an enormous amount of effort to return her little island back to the way it had been. The governor donated plenty of credits, and finally there was a place to rest her head at night. Food on the table for the kids. It wasn't just normal…it was almost better than before.

Not one of the kids saw their parents again. Most of the people who were taken early during the invasion were still missing. Sure, she could try to convince herself that it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't save them no matter what. They'd been long gone before she reached the moon. It was a bitter trial trying to believe that, though.

Pey'j went back to being typical Pey'j. He even complained when she overcooked the only dish she knew how to make—Bluefish , and it wasn't even good when it was baked properly. As far was normalcy went, this was all she could ask for. Pey'j, the kids, and a place to call home.

To relax her mind, Jade woke up just before 4:00, before the sunrise, and dragged herself out of bed. She was careful to not wake the kids, though she knew at least one of them were already awake. Tendrils of her last nightmare still clung to her brain as she dressed, washed her face and trudged down the stairs. It was hard to not notice how the lighthouse no longer creaked or crackled like it used to. She missed the sound of the old, sea-bitten wood in the morning, and when she drifted off to sleep. Now she grabbed the kettle and prepared her herbal tea in the gloomy silence of the false dawn. In the faint distance, she could heard Pey'j snoring. It made her smile. At least that hadn't changed.

In her own cloud, she never even noticed that her PDA on the counter was flashing, indicating that she had new mail. Or hear the soft groan of wood in the stairwell leading outside. It wasn't long before she had a fresh cup of tea in her hands. When she turned away from the stove to take her first sip, she almost had a heart attack.

"Double H!" she cried softly, remembering just in time that the children were asleep. Double H did in fact, stand at the top of the stairway with a stricken, apologetic expression.

"Ah…Miss Jade," her fully armored comrade said hesitantly. He was standing was rigid as a board. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake at this hour. I'll come back at a more appropriate time—"

"No, Double H," she cut in. "I just wasn't expecting—anyway, did you forget? You're welcome here any time of the day." And he'd been here almost every day since construction began, with a hammer and nails and everything. No one asked him to knock anymore, though he still tried. "But I wouldn't wake Pey'j if I were you. He's not a morning person."

"Of course, but, Miss Jade—"

She stopped trying to tell him that her name was _just_ Jade, without the 'Miss' or any of his other chivalrous titles in place, but…well, Double H was a tough nut to crack. An endearing, easy to like, _big_ nut, but his armor wasn't the only part of him that was durable. Yep. Hub was still filed in her mysteries department.

"—my sincere apologies if I sound forward, but Mr. De Castellac is requesting an audience with us at HQ. They were becoming worried when you didn't answer their e-mails."

If one thing was true in this universe, it was that Double H had a hard time speaking to her when he was nervous. So he definitely had something to hide from her. He was talking like a hovercraft on overload. Not to mention the fact that he was using Hahn's code name, 'De Castellac', which meant somewhere along the line, Carlson and Peters wanted him to treat this visit like an undercover operation.

"In my defense, people don't usually scan their e-mail accounts when they're asleep," she said teasingly. "So, did Mr. De Castellac mention why he couldn't wait until morning or send an M-Disk for this 'special request'?" She lifted the cup to sip her tea. It was a very satisfying sip. "Double H, it's great seeing you all the time, but…I don't even have his racing pictures started yet."

"I'm afraid those will have to wait," he explained. He sighed, and now he looked meaningful. "Of course, it's much too early to bother you with something like this. You should get some rest, Miss Jade!"

Jade glanced up at him, but the knee-high protests in her brain were already toppled. "T. I.Y.C. Trust in your comrades. Chapter twenty-two, page seven hundred and thirty-two," she said a little begrudgingly, and set the teacup down on the counter. Oh, how she would miss this teacup. "Alright, Double H. I'll bite this time. C'mon, we might even catch the sunrise on the way out."

It was hard to see the relief under that thick armor, but she was attentive. Double H was always a little uncomfortable in the lighthouse, but she never thought about why. She had too much else to think about, and right now was no exception.

Even with the regular army back in control of Canal City and the surrounding regions, the IRIS network never did stop being a group of insurgents. Despite what they did to save the world from the Alpha Section, the law of Hillys criminalized anyone involved in the DomZ situations. They didn't exactly follow the rules, after all. Corrupted alien armies or no, the network did some things that had to be done for the better good. Just not legally.

Double H went back to his post in the city's defenses, but enlisted as a reserve only. That way he could still get information from them and not be sent halfway across the planet on a transfer. Though she hadn't asked, she knew he still had a good chunk of his memories missing. So far, no one had stepped forward to claim him as a friend, a brother, a son…not even an acquaintance. Seemed most of the people he worked with never tried to get to know him. So yeah, Double H was entirely alone in this world to start with, or he'd lost more than she wanted him to remember. If only things would go back to normal.

No one actually believed things would go back to normal. IRIS stuck together because there was no such thing as absolute peace. Something could happen. They just had to keep their eyes open.

And Jade, well…she went on photographing the whole world's species. Heck, there will still a few thousand that she _knew_ of in the City. She took some other jobs on the side, but it made her uncomfortable to leave Pey'j and the kids alone for too long. They needed a lot less money than they had before. The economy went from a raging catalyst of destruction to a great, collective sigh of relief over the city. It didn't change her frame of mind, though.

She'd almost lost them. No part of her believed it wouldn't happen again.

Together, she and Double H scaled down the stairs of the lighthouse and stepped into the brisk, dawn air. Woof was sprawled on his back, wriggling in the dew-wet grass with a happy dog grin. She'd been wrong. Everyone really was still sleeping. It was calm. When she came back…it would still be calm. She needed to believe that much…

Otherwise, she would never leave.

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In a way, the song playing at the Akuda Bar had become the sound of duty. Whenever she heard it, she thought of IRIS. She wondered if her old friend Mo played it as a subtle 'Hey, everyone, I'm an IRIS fan' joke, but even with the Alpha Section gone, it wasn't very funny. She'd just have to take hearing it from now on, with or without the bad dreams.

Jade barely listened as she reached the second floor. Peepers leaned back in his booth, arms folded with a customary smirk of greeting. She tried to pretend he didn't know more than he let on. But even Peepers had picked up a hammer when rebuilding the orphanage. It ended up putting a dent in the hovercraft, but she honestly believed he'd tried.

Since the end of the war, she and Double H rarely came to the den together. Life was supposed to be normal; IRIS was just preventive organization now. She wasn't even thinking when she stepped inside the revolving door that led to the secret room—but Double H was apparently lost in his own world and didn't see her. See, the little closet was designed for only one body at a time.

"Whoa…hey!' Jade's face literally flattened against the softer armor of his bicep as the laws of physics kicked in. In an instant, he'd snapped out of his daze and tried to escape. This was when the door did its job and spun around. For about one and a half seconds, they were a pair of sardines.

Then they tumbled out the other side. She nearly went over the railing, but caught herself in time. Hahn, who stood at the briefing table, turned at the commotion

"I'm sorry, Miss Jade! I should have been paying attention!" Double H looked both aghast and worried, hovering behind her in the event she was hurt (which she never was, but here's to chivalry anyway). Jade shook her head and chuckled a little.

"Don't worry, Double H. It wasn't that traumatic," she teased. Had she noticed the barest, unintentional tick in his face, she might have corrected herself. But timing was about everything.

"It's good to see you both," Hahn, now acting chief of IRIS, greeted them from the table below. He raised an eyebrow. "I commend you for trying to save time, but aren't you taking it too far?"

Jade sighed as she came down the stairs. "Your jokes never were that funny, Hahn. So, do you have something for me?"

The gentle humor in Hahn's face subsided as Mei and Nino stopped their activities to watch the proceedings. Both of his agents stood before him, awaiting his address.

Jade could hear her pulse thudding in her ears.

"I'm afraid you won't like what I'm going to tell you," Hahn went on. "Just last night, one of our more secluded agents reported some unusual activity in the agricultural sector."

Jade felt the hairs on her neck stand up. She dared to hope. "Another Alpha Section flare-up?"

Their chief sighed and barely shook his head. He might as well have screamed the answer at her.

"No." Could she hide the weakness in her knees, or the tremble in her voice? "It's impossible. _That's_ impossible."

"No one has confirmed anything yet, Jade," Mei told her empathetically. "As far as we know, this is just an elaborate prank, or wild speculation. Wiseman's report was short and to the point. No specifications."

"That's why I called you two here." Hahn glanced between them. "You and Hub are my best reporters. You are the only ones I would trust this mission to. While the IRIS Network is quickly gaining favor, even we can't control the spread of rumors. If we don't take care of this, it could cause city-wide panic."

It was all far too much to take in at once. Nino and Mei stared at her relentlessly, their pity and professionalism like a two-mouthed shark biting into her chest. Hahn looked sad, but no different than when he had he'd asked them to travel to the moon and broadcast the IRIS message over the Alpha Section's transmitter.

And Double H…

"Miss Jade," he began somberly. It wasn't until now that she realized that he was standing inside her field of vision. Her emerald eyes flickered up, but didn't make it past his chin. "I know this is very difficult for you, but I feel the people of Hillys are owed an explanation. If you elect not to go, I want you to know that I give you my full support. You deserve your rest."

"No, no," she said with a slight crack and a flash of anger. "Don't say that. Don't, okay? I don't do this anymore. I'm just a photographer with thirteen mouths to feed and a life to rebuild. What you're asking me isn't fair!"

The silence that filled the room was ponderous. Then Hahn said, "We know it isn't fair, Jade. I'm asking this favor of you as a friend…not as your chief. No matter what you find. It is completely up to you."

Part of her considered the things IRIS had done for her in the past. Not just the big picture—freeing Hillys of the DomZ and helping her rescue her uncle, but the lighthouse and their constant companionship. The unreasonable half of her wanted to believe Hahn was being generous because he expected her to pay him back someday. Because all of that work he put into helping her rebuild, she was supposed to submit. But then, the part of her that she usually listened to knew it wasn't like that. Nobody thought she owed something.

Suddenly, the humid atmosphere of Hillys was too stifling. The neighboring smell of the machines made her head ache. She wanted the over-familiar stench of oil, dirt and sweat that haunted Peyj's workshop. Her fear of this new report, the possibility that there might still be…DomZ out there, appealed to the seven-year-old girl inside her that used to cling to her uncle's shirt during thunderstorms. What she wanted was comfort. Her home and her ocean view.

"Think about it," Hahn said. "Get back to me tomorrow. We don't want to rush you."

"I'm going."

Mei's eyes widened. "Jade, you should take some time—

"You heard me." Thinking about it would only hurt more. "Double H and I will hunt down whatever's causing these rumors. And once we've proved to everyone that they really are gone, I can go back to my day job."

"But Miss Jade—

"D.B.U.T.T," she said, pointing in Double H's face. "One way or another, _you're_ not going out there alone. I'll probably be the one who rescues you when you get captured, anyway."

It was a sore crack at humor and it didn't work, but she'd made up her mind and that was that. She could only imagine what she'd tell Pey'j. If she told Pey'j. She probably couldn't tell Pey'j.

"There is a mining town called Undervale east of Canal City. The sightings have been both inside and around the entrance to the mines. For now, they've been evacuated." The IRIS chief nodded to Nino, who tapped something into his computer station. The holo projector in the middle of the table blinked on, displaying the rendered head of a surprisingly rough-looking old man with an eye patch. "This is Wiseman. He's been our informant in this sector for over twenty years. If you need anything—supplies, information, a diversion—you only need to ask."

Though she felt like she'd been hassled into the middle of the canal with a thousand hovercrafts whizzing by on either side, Jade found herself thinking about this mission seriously. Who was she kidding? If she denied any of it, she would only sacrifice sleep and health. Nothing else.

"Here's an M-Disk with everything you need to know about the town and mines," the chief explained, pushing a circular disc forward on the table. "Jade, Hub…thank you."

"We will do our best," Double H replied curtly. Jade didn't respond, but she picked up the disc put it with her collection. She could read it later.

"Double H, when can you be ready to head out?" she asked.

"Anytime you are, Miss Jade."

There was a long pause before she lifted her head to look Hahn in the eye. "What happens if Wiseman is right? What can we do?"

He sighed. "Everything in our power. I give you my word."

It was said in a way that made it clear she didn't have a choice to trust his word or not. Right now, she didn't know whom she could trust. Other than Pey'j…and maybe Double H.

She glanced into her partner's determined face and slowly let her eyes slide to the floor again.

Since when did she stop trusting her own friends?

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- TBC -


	2. Chapter 2

**_Beyond Right And Wrong_**

AN: Randomly inspired to continue this. Had the time and inspiration. Reeeeeeeeally wish Ubisoft would make a sequel already. This game changed my whole (video game related) life.

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_Chapter Two_

It was hot in the plains of Wildside Hills, near the farms that belong to the town where Wiseman lived. Undervale. Jade thought for a moment that the location of the town strange, but then, she'd never once considered that a lighthouse would be the best place for an orphanage. Not until it was. If this small town, enclosed by rifts and canyons and rough, almost infertile land was anything like home, she liked it better that way.

Because the chopper frightened the many herds of cattle on the edge of the town, she had been airlifted to the edge of the bluff that led straight to the road, and the road led to the town. Farm country. In its peacefulness, it naively made her feel even more anxious. Already she could tell that this place was beautiful—did it really need to get destroyed by the DomZ, too?

She heard Double H make a nondiscretionary grunt behind her, and glanced over her shoulder to see him staring intently at a gaggle of crows that had just taken flight in alarm. "Relax, Double H," she told him. "They're just birds. I'm telling you, we're going to take a few pictures, find out that the whole thing was just a couple of kids with overactive imaginations, and then go home. No harm, no foul."

A few more paces down the dusty, trodden path and she noticed that his heavy footfalls were even heavier than normal. With a twinge in her gut, she realized too late that she didn't even know where her partner lived. Until now, she'd just assumed he lived at the IRIS Network headquarters.

"Hey, uh…Double H?" After slowing her pace down deliberately, she gave him a side-long glance. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all, Miss Jade," he replied curtly, but the optimism sounded forced.

"Where is 'home' for you, exactly?" she said, brushing a lock of black hair from her eyes. The breeze up here was refreshing, but it wasn't helping her vision.

"Home is where the heart is, of course," said Double H. His avoidance of the real topic was as plain to her as it was surprising. He must have noticed that she wasn't buying it, because he went on, a little nervously, "A good soldier should never complain about his lifestyle, Miss Jade."

"But," she pressured, sensing there was a 'but' behind that statement.

"But, a good soldier also…at times, needs a wholesome residence to plant his feet at the end of a long day of hard work. G.R.F.T.S., Carlson and Peters, chapter thirteen. Good rest for the soul."

For a long while, there was nothing but the crunching of pebbles under armored boots and the lightweight scuffling of her feet as they traveled further down the road. "Before you started with IRIS, you were in the military, weren't you?"

"With the lodgings and benefits included, yes."

"You lost that home, though, didn't you?"

"That I did."

"Hmm," she thought out loud, but didn't smile. "Y'know, Double H…when we're done with this, I'm going to help you get it back. I mean, you helped rebuild mine. It's the least I can do."

She caught a glimpse of his reaction, and it appeared as though he were about to add something important to that, but they were interrupted by the wild screaming of a young girl. Instantly, all of Jade's senses went online and her instinct was to grab for the Daï-jo hooked on the equipment on her back. A child of maybe six or six and a half years came gallivanting their way, down the narrow dirt road with her arms flung out. Jade's worries were quickly subdued when, instead of a DomZ or a dangerous animal, a remotely familiar face appeared chasing the girl.

"No, no, Grandpa! No more tickling! I'll be good!" gasped the child, laughing at the top of her lungs as she fearlessly tucked herself behind Double H and hid. The old man, as grizzled and grey as he had appeared in the holovid back at headquarters, was definitely Wiseman. Eyepatch and all. Wiseman scratched the large bald spot on top of his head and gave his visitors each an appraising look.

"Figur'd the message didn't get to 'im by now," he mumbled, and raised his voice again. "Yer the reporters who work with m'boys in IRIS. I got yer M-Disks all the way out here, lil' miss, and th' ones they made b'fore ye went missin', Double H. Pleasure to meetcha. Ye might know me as Wiseman, but th' people 'round here jes' call me Endelos."

"I'm Shauni," Jade answered without giving it a second thought. "And you know Double H already. It's a pleasure to meet you, Wiseman."

"Grandpa," scolded the little girl, peering out from behind a mildly startled Double H. She was a white furred Ramitt, with slender ears and eyes almost as cute as half of the children back in her orphanage. Jade supposed 'Grandpa' was either an endearing term, or an adoptive one. "Are these people staying with us? Are they guests?"

"No, lil' un'," Wiseman grunted, beckoning to her. She trotted back over to him, but not before casting a curious glance over her shoulder at Jade and Double H. Her 'grandpa' gave her a pat on the back and sent her running back to the town just a brisk walk away, then turned to survey them again. "Th' less time ye spend away from the city, the faster ye get this investigation o'er with, th' sooner I can get back ter me job," he said, a little less amiably than before. "I'll take ye to the place where the miners were attacked, bu' I'm too old fer field work. Hrng….I didn' think they'd send their two top agents way the heck up 'ere."

"The miners were attacked? By DomZ?" Jade asked, alarmed.

"Don' sweat in yer socks, miss reporter," Wiseman (or rather, Endelos) said dismissively, turning to lead them away. "People 'round here are hardier than me granny's glass eye. One night these two troublemakers come rawlin' in the night, makin' nonsense abou' a coupla Banshees tryin' to kill them down in the abandoned copper mine's entrance. Or capture 'em. Probably jes' a couple of overgrown Crochax, if ye ask me."

"Why did you send Hahn a report about the DomZ?" She didn't mean to sound as though she were accusing him, but she'd hidden a big secret from Pey'j, one that could be a complete lie.

"If they turn ou' ter be DomZ after all, I think ye're the one tha' should be dealin' with them, no?" he replied.

If she hadn't realized in a few seconds that he meant _them_, rather than _herself_ specifically, Jade might have said something offensive. Or worse, she might have just punched him out. Of course he didn't mean her, alone. No one knew she was connected to the DomZ; that is, no one but Hahn and the team, Pey'j and Double H. There was no reason to panic.

It was a brisk downhill walk towards the mines. The path to their destination was carved right out of the tough soil, formed into a gently sloping ramp that gradually curled around the shoe-shaped bluff where they had landed. Double H was taking up the rear, while Jade stayed a pace or two behind their guide. Wiseman walked with a noticeable limp, though she doubted it was slowing him down. He was dressed in thick, almost rubbery overalls and an oily linen shirt, adorned by equally as thick and resolute gloves that looked like something Pay'j would wear when he was welding in the garage.

"Once ye get inside, there ain't nobody to call fer help. I'm needed back up at th' crazy house, so jes' drop a line abou' what ye find. If ye need anythin' before ye go in, yer welcome to stop by the shop in town, bu' we don't have much. We're a coupla decades behind in the times, bein' jes' simple minin' folk."

'Simple mining folk' who clearly weren't afraid of Crochax. They were also the same 'simple mining folk' who managed to survive the DomZ attacks without a shield over their heads. According to the M-Disk Hahn had given her, they weren't without shields by choice. They city wasn't willing to cut them a fair deal in purchasing the right tower system, so they ended up fighting off a lot of DomZ themselves. In fact, a lot of the captured residents of Hillys had been from towns much similar to Undervale.

"This is it." Wiseman stopped them in front of a very large metal door, clamped together by triangular metal teeth. There were two large spools of cable on either side of the entrance, and a box console where the old IRIS contact was standing. "I"ll keep 'er open fer ye in case of trouble. An' here," he added, tossing Double H a radio (which came out of nowhere it seemed). "This'll work fer the firs' few hundred meters 'fore it's jes another hunk a' junk. Batteries'll last a week, though. Let me know if ye need medical attention or a massage 'er somethin'."

Before Jade could answer to that, Wiseman jerked a lever on the box and started to open the gate. The high-pitched, deafening sound of chains rattling together and a poorly oiled two-ton door sliding in its tracks split their attention. Their contact was already walking away before the mines were open. "Oh, an' Shaft Twelve is under repairs, so stay clear of it if ye can!"

And he was gone.

Jade turned her head to look at Double H, gently raising an eyebrow. "Definitely not someone I'd imagine living in the city," she admitted, to his conceding nod of agreement. Fearlessly, she approached the gaping mouth of the mines and took her flashlight from her belt strap.

The bright beam of light illuminated far more than the dim string of bare light bulbs overhead. These were bigger and darker than the mines near home. But so far there was no sign of any DomZ, or even Crochax for that matter. Just to be safe, she decided it would be useful to know how deep this shaft went and if there were any secondary exits.

"Secundo—" she started, reaching for her SAC, but her AI beat her to the punch.

"_Way ahead of you, Yade,"_ said the digitized voice from her 'newfangled' storage unit. A ten-inch tall version of Secundo's hologram appeared in the air in front of her, his arms crossed. "_This tunnel is cinquenta…fifty meters or so, but you will be finding the Shafts Tres and Ocho on either side, but they are not very deep. Very straightforward; ci, even the pig could not manage to get lost in such a simple little spelunking expedition."_

Jade snuffed out a grin before it could seize her lips; even though Pey'j wasn't here, it wasn't nice to make fun of her directionally challenged uncle just because his talents were put elsewhere. "With you, Secundo, nothing is every simple," she remarked, clicking a button on her SAC to make him disappear. "I don't know what I was worried about, Double H," she said, capturing his attention. She failed to see the worried expression behind his dark eyes. "After all, it's not like a bunch of Domz are—"

"Jade!" Double H's outcry countered the explosion of the wall in front of her. Rocks sprayed in all direction, shriveling into gravel that _chinked_ off of his armour and almost knocked Jade clear of her feet. She made a grab for her Dai-jo, but stumbled backwards and landed on her rump when a fist-sized boulder thumped into her chest.

Out from the brand new doorway in the shaft wall came the _biggest_, lime green Crochax she had ever seen. Its pincers sliced into the jagged edges of the hole, crumbling rocks the size of her head like glass. Then it sprang into the air, screeching as it targeted its first prey in what could have been weeks. Jade scrambled to get her Gyrodisk Launcher ready, but she wasn't fast enough.

Like so many time before, Double H charged straight into their enemy, swinging his hammer—on his left side, as opposed to his usual right so that he could avoid hitting Jade—into is open-mouthed pincers. But the mutant Crochax was easily his bulk or even more, and after it bumped against the opposite wall, it tail-lashed itself around to face them with another reverberating shriek.

It didn't stand a chance, mutated or not. Jade was on her feet now, taking a stance with her Dai-jo gripped in two determined hands. The Crochax then did something _neither _of them expected: it hesitated. If it had eyes in the literal sense, it might have been looking between them, as if trying to choose which one to kill first. Before Jade could wrap her head around it, the overgrown Hillyean pest lunged for her.

She delivered a ready smack on top of its proverbial head, knocking it off its course. It corkscrewed under the blow, making an awful, caterwauling sound as came up once again to try and undercut her from below. Double H swung his hammer again, which would have put a gruesome and messy end to the Crochax—instead, it banked around in the complete opposite direction, evading the blow by sheer inches. The t-shaped hammer slammed into the wall with such force, rocks and dirt rained down on their heads from above.

This Crochax was smart. It wasn't smarter than Jade. Before it could come back with its deadly targeted lunge, she sprang after it and drove the end of her Dai-jo staff into the back of his 'neck'. The massive creature shuddered, screamed and flailed for a moment, then flopped over.

She wasn't panting. She had barely even broken a sweat. But for some reason, her heart was pounding viciously inside her ribcage, as though it wanted to explode and continue the fight without her. For a while, she just stood on top of the Crochax, staring at it and the bubbling green mucus around her Dai-jo, which was still embedded in its carapace.

"Are you alright, Miss Jade?" Double H asked her, his tone cautionary. She snapped out of it.

"I'm fine," she replied like a ghost, and hopped off of their dead enemy. Still dazed, she backed up under she bumped into her partner and, startled, whirled around to face him. She shook her head. "I was just…do you see the _size_ of that thing? That thing wouldn't fit inside Woof's doghouse. How did it—"

A warbling, ugly cry from the dead Crochax interrupted that thought. Still dripping its bright green, oozing blood, the creature rolled over and started to crawl towards her. Jade stood, petrified, staring at it. She didn't feel the trembling in the walls or the floor of the shaft. She wasn't staring at _it_ anymore; she was staring at the festering, green and yellow splotches that were erupting all over its cracked skin, covering it in a network of disgusting, toxic parts. DomZ parts.

Sound returned to her world just as a great _crack_ popped over her head, and she looked up, momentarily broken from her trance. Then she was flying—backwards—away from the DomZ Crochax and the avalanche of stone and soil that seemed to come from all sides of the shaft at once. She almost dropped her staff—she _did_ drop her flashlight, knocked off her belt—and found herself thrust into the blinding sunlight just as a massive cloud of dust overtook them from behind.

Double H unhooked his arm from around her at once, while she bent over and coughed, wiping tears from her eyes with filthy hands, tears that were caused by a combination of the sight she had endured, the stifling veil of dust and the DomZ toxic gases. She looked behind her, over her shoulder, and saw that the mouth of the mines had collapsed. If she hadn't—if Double H hadn't—

"Are you…alright, Miss Jade?" he asked her for a second time since she'd 'killed' the Crochax. Squeezing out the last few coughs in her system, she turned around and straightened herself out, waving the dust out of her face.

"I think so," she croaked, and coughed again. "Geez, Double H. I've never seen anyone move that fast in my life…if you hadn't—"

"We must watch each other's backs if we're to expect to survive these sorts of encounters,Miss Jade. I for one, would never have imagined that Crochax that big ever existed," he explained, but she knew he had seen what she'd seen. He was just being too nice to bring up the obvious, hoping she'd missed out on it.

"Yeah." She steeled herself, putting a hand on the back of her neck. "But I'm not kidding myself. I saw what happened to it after it died, Double H. It came back to life, and it was infected by the DomZ. Just like the Alpha Section leaders. Just like—" She was about to say 'you', but he had already predicted that, by the look on his face. She saw his face cheeks drain of its colour and mentally slapped herself to being so brazen. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"You're perfectly right. This is something we should report to the IRIS Network as soon as possible. In the meantime, we may have done the locals a favour by collapsing the main entrance to what very well could be a nest of those dangerous creatures."

"I—" Jade collected herself, then nodded. "Of course. If killing one of those things means taking out an entire shaft, I'd hate to think of what fighting a nest of them would do to the mines."

It dawned upon her that her hand was trembling. Just the one hand, gripping her Dai-jo tightly. Shaking her head, she reached behind her back to put the staff away and heaved a sigh. "We should get going. There's something worse than overgrown Crochax threatening this town, and I didn't even get time to take a picture of it. I have no clue how we'll convince the residents to evacuate if we can't prove there's a DomZ threat."

Double H offered a grim smile. "The others back at headquarters will think of something, I'm sure. There must be a logical explanation we can depend on."

"Always the optimist. Thanks, Double H."

He floundered for a second, searching for something that was no longer attached to his belt, and she realized that he must have lost Wiseman's radio somewhere in the cave-in, or during the fight with the Crochax. _The DomZ Crochax_, she reminded herself. Brushing that thought away, she waved over her shoulder. "C'mon, we can have Hahn tell Wiseman what happened from HQ. At the very least, no more Crochax are going to be bothering the town for the time being. Not unless they've learned how to dig through a mountain of rock."

The trip back to the landing pad on the bluff was a silent one. The wait for their transport back to the city was quiet, too. Jade had barely sat down and strapped herself into one of the passenger's seats when she vaguely remembered seeing Double H's face, his mouth silently moving and speaking to her. She started to ask him to speak up, but she couldn't talk. And just as she began to wonder why, she fell into a state of unconsciousness that consumed everything else.

* * *

TBC


End file.
